Posts Tagged ‘Cleaning Services in Burnsville MN’

Many people struggle to understand what janitorial services do for residential and commercial customers, but it is actually very easy to explain. These services can actually offer a whole range of different things to customers, with most of the work that is done actually depending on the needs and wants of the customer. Some homeowners use these service providers to keep their windows clean, whereas others use them to keep their floors polished, whereas others may use them for a full range of maintenance services. The most extreme packages include full building maintenance, where the external janitorial team will take steps to ensure that they are completely on top of all of the maintenance needs at that property, including monitoring and anticipating future risks which may occur.

That is why we do and offer Contract Cleaning Services in Burnsville MN area!

Janitorial Services also take the time to arrange a schedule that fits in with the needs of the customer. Sometimes they are required to attend every single day, and sometimes they are only required to attend a few times per month. These service providers are also flexible about what time they will attend during the day (or night).

This flexibility can help to make them even more appealing to customers, who may want to get services early in the morning, later in the evening, or even during the night, when no one will be around to inhibit the performance of the janitors.

Commercial Cleaning and Janitorial Services

A janitorial cleaning service is one of the best businesses for a hardworking, blue collar person to start from scratch. Every business and every building needs to be cleaned once in awhile - in some cases, many times each day. With the overhead involved with hiring employees to provide janitorial services, it is convenient for a company to outsource to a commercial janitorial service provider.This is where you step in!If you are reading this article, you are probably looking for advice on how to start a janitorial service. Hopefully the following information and advice will get you moving in the right direction.Start Up Costs and Financing Sources:$500 and upIt is possible to get started with almost no investment, but you will be in a much better position if you have a few hundred dollars of basic equipment available. Equipment for a full-scale commercial janitorial service may run many thousands of dollars.Writing a sound business plan describing how to start a janitorial service in your area - including detailed market research and plans for future growth - may help you to secure some of your initial funding from venture capitalists or angel investors.Pricing Guidelines for Service:Base your time at $20 to $50 per hour (before taxes and expenses) and price your services according to the time you expect to spend on each task.Itemize the exact services you intend to provide. Charging by the hour tends to make clients comfortable asking you to do more and more work for the same money. Be clear that you provide certain services for a certain price. By charging a flat fee, you will continually earn a better hourly rate as you improve and become more efficient. Advertising and Marketing:Get listed in the yellow pages under all of the main services you provide. This is more expensive than one general listing, but you can't expect all of your potential clients to look under "Janitorial Services" when they are really looking for "Window Cleaners".Face-to-face selling can go either way. Some managers and store owners like the fortitude of this very direct way of marketing, but others find it very annoying - especially if they get a lot of people coming in and asking to wash the windows. Always obey "No Soliciting" signs.Walk around town and identify businesses which look like they really need your help. Send a professional-looking brochure to the general manager.Essential Equipment:A janitorial cleaning service can start very small and build up as it grows more popular. It is sometimes possible to start out by using the equipment of the client companies, buying your own equipment with that revenue.Get a unique uniform - and unique does not mean outrageous! A uniform looks much more professional than jeans, and it can provide a marketing service for you, as well. When people recognize your janitorial cleaning service working at the company down the street, it lends credibility to you when you approach them for a contract.Much of the following equipment will become useful as your business expands:Safety Equipment: dust mask safety goggles heat resistant gloves heat resistant apron slip resistant, steel toe shoes hard hat General Supplies: dust mop, brooms, and dust pans vacuum cleaner window squeegee and buckets wet mop and bucket scrub brushes towels, lots of towels window cleaning solution degreaser solution carpet cleaning solution plunger drain "snake" basic tool set: hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc. tape measure utility knife and plenty of blades tool belt ladder 50-foot water hose pressure washer chainsaw weed whip a cargo van to carry it all Income Potential:$15,000 to $60,000 per year, going solo.There is a limit to the amount you can earn working alone. As you become more successful at negotiating with clients, you can eventually start hiring other people to do the work. The ultimate earning potential is unlimited.Target Market:One of the nicest parts about janitorial services is that you don't have to look for new customers week after week. After you secure a few accounts, you will have a fairly steady source of income that only changes infrequently. Convenience stores, restaurants, grocery stores, strip malls, and office complexes are all great places to start looking.Tips for Success: Always be professional and courteous. Everyone encounters stressful and undesirable working conditions once in a while. It will carry you a long way if you can remain respectful and calm when dealing with these situations. Don't let your clients walk all over you, but don't let them walk out on you! Janitorial services are very repetitive from day to day. Keep a mindset toward using your time more and more efficiently. Go the extra mile. Do what you can to go above and beyond your clients' expectations. This translates to job security and a better reputation in the industry. You should get your janitorial cleaning service bonded and insured. If you are not bonded and insured, your prospects for business are very limited. Training, Skills or Experience Needed:The best training is to have worked as a janitor for some time so you know what you're getting into. It is not easy work. Read a few books on how to start a janitorial service. No matter how much you already know, you are sure to find new information that will help you to be more successful.Schooling is not usually necessary, but you can earn better money and find more contracts if you learn to maintain HVAC or other common equipment. There are independent classes available for this type of training.

Janitors are able to carry out work both inside and outside the property, so long as the property that they are attending to is owned or rented by the client. Being able to do both indoor and outdoor work means that they are able to provide a joined up service, to ensure that clients do not need to hire two separate teams of people. When janitors are hired for a package such as this, it is much easier for them to coordinate their efforts, so that the whole area meets your exacting standards.

Some companies that offer janitorial services will refer to their company as office maintenance services because all their company does is clean offices. This can include dentist, medical, real estate, attorney, and other offices. The people who work in these offices are generally too busy to do any office maintenance except keeping the break room clean. This is where these types of janitorial services are needed. The employees of these companies will make sure that the offices are clean and ready for the next day's business. The offices need to be kept clean for health reasons and to make sure that they make a good impression on their customers each day. When you work for a janitorial service that does office maintenance you will generally work five days a week in the evening after the offices have closed for the day. What hours you would work depends on when the office closes. If it is a small office there is normally one person doing the cleaning and they may clean two offices a night. When doing your job you will do the general cleaning tasks such as:• Emptying all the trash baskets • Vacuuming • Wiping off the computer monitor • Cleaning and restocking the bathroom, which includes cleaning the toilet, sinks, and mirrors. • Mopping any tile floors • Cleaning the employee break roomDepending on the type of office you are cleaning, there may be other jobs that you do. In addition to the daily janitorial cleaning services, there may be other office maintenance tasks that you will do less often. For example, many times the office manager will want the windows to be keep clean, especially the ones that people passing by see each day. During your office cleaning you may be required to spot clean the windows inside but the outside may be done before the office opens for the day. This could be done once a week or even twice a week. The janitorial service that you work for may have a special crew that just does window cleaning so you may work one morning doing window cleaning. For some offices, this is a crucial part of office cleaning. When you read the description of office maintenance and the jobs needed to be done you may think working for a janitorial service an easy job but it is not always easy. If you have two or three offices you are assigned to clean each night you have to have a schedule and stick with it so you will be done on time. There is also the strain on your arms as you push the vacuum cleaner, the bending and reaching as you dust and clean. It is important that you be physically fit.

Janitorial Services - Janitor Safety Tips

You've bought all your cleaning supplies and equipment, told everyone you know that you have started a cleaning business and now you are ready to start bidding on jobs and getting down to work. So your next step is to meet with potential clients and put together a bid for their cleaning services. But how do you know what to charge for cleaning your potential client's building?Start off by remembering that you are in business to make a profit and earn a living. Sometimes the tendency is to price our services low in order to get our foot in the door. Pricing your services too low may mean you will end up working for very little per hour. And more importantly, will have little left over to reinvest in the growth of your company. There are cleaning companies that charge more than others and have all the work they can handle and there are companies that have lower fees yet are struggling to find work! Don't sell yourself short or you will not be able to earn a living off your cleaning business.The rates for commercial cleaning vary widely depending upon the area you live. Hourly rates are anywhere from $15 to $40 per hour depending on the type of services that you provide, whether or not you're doing the work yourself, and your company's overhead and expenses. Monthly square footage rates could run anywhere from $.05 to $.20 per square foot depending on the type of building you are cleaning and the frequency of cleaning. You'll be able to bid a higher square footage price for medical facilities versus office buildings due to more specialized cleaning needs. You'll likely bid a lower square footage price for large buildings versus small buildings. For example, you may bid $.08 per square foot for a 50,000 square foot building versus $.12 per square foot for an 8,000 square foot building. You will most likely be charging your customers a monthly price and you will need to figure that price by estimating how long it will take to perform the services that your client has requested. The more productive you or your employees are, the higher the hourly production rate. If you're able to clean 3,500 square feet per hour, your profit will be higher than if you're only able to clean 2,500 square feet per hour, so adjust your price accordingly.It's also a good idea to find out what the "going rates" are in your area. A few phone calls to competitors may be necessary to get an idea of the basic charges in your area. Use a script when you call so you can compare apples to apples. So what do you say when you call? Try something like, "Hi, I have a small business office that I would like cleaned once a week. It is 3000 square feet and has two small restrooms. Can you give me a rough estimate of what you what you charge per month?" The person may or may not give you an estimate. Most contractors will insist on walking through the building, but it is worth a few phone calls so you have a ballpark figure on what cleaning companies in the area are charging.To estimate what you should charge for cleaning a building, start by doing a walk-through with the building owner or manager. Keep track of the following:* Frequency of cleaning (once a week, three times a week, five times a week). If frequency is one or two times per week, it's best to estimate your time and multiply by your hourly rate. If cleaning 3 or more times per week you can estimate your time by the square foot.* Overall square feet* Types of floor surfaces and square footage of each (carpet, vinyl flooring, ceramic tile)* Types of rooms - general office, break room, restrooms. Also note the number of toilets/stalls and fixtures in each restroom, as well as the types of restroom supplies used.* Any special considerations - heavy traffic areas, elevators, unusual requests, etc.* Make note of the specific services the client is seeking such as emptying trash, dusting, restroom cleaning, mopping and vacuuming.The following services are specialized services and you should bid them separately, and list a per-service charge on your bid:* Stripping and Waxing (.25¢ - .50¢ per square foot)* Buffing/Burnishing (.03¢ - .07¢ per square foot)* Machine Cleaning of Ceramic Tile floors (.12¢ - .21¢ per square foot)* Carpet Cleaning (.12¢ - .25¢ per square foot)* Carpet Spotting ($20 - $40 per hour)* Cleaning appliances (microwave, refrigerator) - $10 - $35 per appliance* Window Washing ($1.00 - $5.00 per pane)Make sure you take enough notes so you can put together a realistic price that is fair to the client and one in which you will make a profit. After your first meeting with the client, go back to your office look through your notes and decide what it will cost you to clean the building. You may have to consult a production cleaning rate chart to determine how long it will take you and your staff to clean the building. Once you have an idea of how long it will take to clean the building you can put your cost estimate together:* Estimate the time it will take by using a production cleaning rate chart or calculator. * Determine your labor cost for cleaning the building one time.* Determine your monthly labor cost to clean the building.* Estimate a monthly cost for supplies. This will be a fairly low figure, perhaps 1 or 2% of monthly sales.* Be sure to add in a profit margin!Add up the figures and you will come up with your monthly cost. If you have access to a bidding calculator you will be able to put in a series of numbers and come up with a price. A bidding calculator will also show what profit you can expect to make. It is also advisable to add a first time cleaning charge. This is usually an hourly rate of perhaps $20 - $25 an hour. The first time you go through a building it will take longer and you may find the previous cleaning service may have left dirt in cracks and crevices that you will have to clean the first time through.Once you have your price established, put your bid packet together. Your bid packet should specify what you are responsible for and what the client is responsible for (buying their own trash can liners, restrooms supplies, etc.). It should also include the monthly charge for cleaning services, how long the agreement is for, and the procedure to cancel the contract if either party is unhappy.It is important to learn how to price your cleaning services so your customers know you are providing a professional service at a realistic price and so that you make a profit. After all, if you do not make a profit you won't stay in business very long!

Looking for a Quote For your Contract Cleaning Services?

Some companies that offer janitorial services will refer to their company as office maintenance services because all their company does is clean offices. This can include dentist, medical, real estate, attorney, and other offices. The people who work in these offices are generally too busy to do any office maintenance except keeping the break room clean. This is where these types of janitorial services are needed. The employees of these companies will make sure that the offices are clean and ready for the next day's business. The offices need to be kept clean for health reasons and to make sure that they make a good impression on their customers each day. When you work for a janitorial service that does office maintenance you will generally work five days a week in the evening after the offices have closed for the day. What hours you would work depends on when the office closes. If it is a small office there is normally one person doing the cleaning and they may clean two offices a night. When doing your job you will do the general cleaning tasks such as:• Emptying all the trash baskets • Vacuuming • Wiping off the computer monitor • Cleaning and restocking the bathroom, which includes cleaning the toilet, sinks, and mirrors. • Mopping any tile floors • Cleaning the employee break roomDepending on the type of office you are cleaning, there may be other jobs that you do. In addition to the daily janitorial cleaning services, there may be other office maintenance tasks that you will do less often. For example, many times the office manager will want the windows to be keep clean, especially the ones that people passing by see each day. During your office cleaning you may be required to spot clean the windows inside but the outside may be done before the office opens for the day. This could be done once a week or even twice a week. The janitorial service that you work for may have a special crew that just does window cleaning so you may work one morning doing window cleaning. For some offices, this is a crucial part of office cleaning. When you read the description of office maintenance and the jobs needed to be done you may think working for a janitorial service an easy job but it is not always easy. If you have two or three offices you are assigned to clean each night you have to have a schedule and stick with it so you will be done on time. There is also the strain on your arms as you push the vacuum cleaner, the bending and reaching as you dust and clean. It is important that you be physically fit.